Content Studio

Content Studio

Content Studio is the browser front end of the active UO item-authoring path (tools/uo-content). It turns a 3D item, a bundled starter or a configured template into fitted, animated equipment on the shared UO_Model3D v13 body, renders it in Blender and packages it for UOFiddler and classic clients.

Source guide: tools/uo-content/README.md.

Start

launchers/editor/content-studio.bat

sh launchers/editor/content-studio.sh
# or: python tools/uo-content/studio.py

Open http://127.0.0.1:8772. Requires the installation steps, in particular the model setup (pipeline.py setup --source <UO_Model3D folder>). To run it together with Fit Lab use the workbench.

The page

Panel	What it does
Create an item	Choose a bundled CC0 starter (by UO layer) or Use my own asset / template; item name; equipment type; design description; picture or 3D model upload; base color; Build mode; Placement and orientation; Build item / New item.
Export options	Every completed build includes an editable Blender scene, transparent frames, a SpriteMotion preview and a VD file for UOFiddler.
Animation review	Plays a finished job: action, direction, frame slider, Original body and New item toggles.
Builds	One row per job with Load settings, Review, VD, Import package, Blender scene, Validation and Build log.
Stage classic-client animation	Creates patched copies of client files for a full build (see client staging).

Inputs

Input	What happens	Limits
3D model (GLB, glTF, FBX, OBJ, STL, Blender mesh)	Flattened at its current shape, placed at the selected body region and bound to the canonical rig. Helmets are rigidly weighted to the head; clothing uses surface-weight transfer; cloaks and skirts use the supplied cloth templates.	The uploader accepts self-contained GLB/FBX/STL/BLEND up to 100 MB. Use the CLI for OBJ/glTF with adjacent texture/bin files. Include only the item meshes.
Picture (PNG, JPG, WebP)	Applied as material artwork to a fitted template.	Not single-image 3D reconstruction. Use a cropped texture/design image.
Text	Selects and configures a procedural template, recognizes named base colors, supports a helmet crest.	Not an unrestricted generative model. The visible controls decide type and placement.
Asset-pack parts	Fitted through that pack's mapping (source_files, palette, pack_mapping in job settings).	See Asset Packs. Licensed packs stay in your local sidecar.
Bundled CC0 starter	Pick from the dropdown and click Build item. No download or file selection needed.	Starting fits only, not approved game-ready exports.

Equipment types (templates): Helmet / hat, Chest armor, Arm armor, Gloves, Leg armor, Boots, Robe, Cloak, Skirt, Sword / weapon, Shield, Bow, Quiver.

Placement and orientation: Fit to equipment region (automatic, a starting placement) or Keep supplied world coordinates (when you have already fitted the object in Blender in the body's rest pose). Rotation, scale and offset controls refine either one.

Agent-assisted work: the repository includes a uo-content-build skill so a coding agent can generate artwork or author Blender geometry and feed it through the same tested pipeline. No external 3D-generation service or account is assumed.

Build modes

Mode	Actions	Frames
Preview · 5 actions	0 walk, 4 idle, 9 one-handed slash, 22 death forward, 25 mounted idle; 5 stored directions	25 blocks
Game export · all 35	All 35 actions, 5 stored directions	175 blocks, 1,050 frames

Jobs run serially and never mix frames from earlier designs. Review shows eight facings by mirroring three stored views. Clipping and empty frames are reported, not hidden.

Command line

python tools/uo-content/pipeline.py build --spec tools/uo-content/example-helmet.json
python tools/uo-content/pipeline.py build --spec <item-settings.json> --asset <helmet.glb>
python tools/starter-assets/run.py weapon-sword          # build one CC0 starter
python tools/starter-assets/run.py --list                # every slot and its route
python tools/starter-assets/run.py boots --smoke         # quick idle / direction-0 render

Settings fields: rotate_x/y/z (degrees), offset_x/y/z (metres), scale (uniform multiplier), fit (auto or preserve), mode (preview or full). Every job stores its resolved settings, the original prompt and the input hash. Fit-aware settings (fit_item, fit_adjustments, actions, blocks) follow schemas/fit-build.schema.json.

Outputs

Each job lives in workspace/ultima-online/content-studio/jobs/<id>/:

File	Use
item.blend	Item mounted on the rig, editable, images packed
item.vd	UOFiddler people/equipment animation export
render/clothing/	Transparent PNGs and vdtool-compatible canvas metadata
review/	256 px atlases and a local animation viewer
inventory.png, contact-sheet.png	Inventory art and an overview sheet
validation.json	Independent alpha/anchor check of every VD frame
import-package.zip	Everything a collaborator needs

Next: Blender Build Pipeline for how frames are rendered and staged, or Fit Lab to tune the fit.